Well, I had to have one of those skulls if my crochet skills were up to it . . .

I thought, I’ll start one, and see how it goes. The only lightweight yarn I had on hand in a sufficient quantity was a lovely dusty rose, so I gamely began crocheting skulls.

One of the nice things about crocheting is that ripping out is very easy. And it’s also easy to restart after you rip out the mistake.

I did a lot of ripping out with that first shawl, but I discovered that I really liked seeing those cute skulls take shape, and if they were a little wonky and misshapen, well, that just made them more realistic.

In addition to the dusty rose shawl, I now have a gray ombre one and a black triangular scarf made of bulkier yarn. I can bunch the scarf around my neck on cold days, and no one will even notice that I’m wearing skulls. I’ve started a shawl in thin white crochet cotton, for summer (ahem) glamor.

Have you ever had so much fun making something that you couldn’t help making another one? And another, and . . . ?

Emily Westhill runs the best donut shop in Fallingbrook, Wisconsin, alongside her retired police chief father-in-law and her tabby Deputy Donut. But after murder claims a favorite customer, Emily can’t rely on a sidekick to solve the crime—or stay alive.

If Emily has learned anything from her past as a 911 operator, it’s to stay calm during stressful situations. But that’s a tall order when one of her regulars, Georgia Treetor, goes missing. Georgia never skips morning cappuccinos with her knitting circle. Her pals fear the worst—especially Lois, a close friend who recently moved to town. As evening creeps in, Emily and the ladies search for Georgia at home. And they find her—murdered among a scattering of stale donuts . . .

Disturbingly, Georgia’s demise coincides with the five-year anniversary of her son’s murder, a case Emily’s late detective husband failed to solve before his own sudden death. With Lois hiding secrets and an innocent man’s life at stake, Emily’s forced to revisit painful memories on her quest for answers. Though someone’s alibi is full of holes, only a sprinkling of clues have been left behind. And if Emily can’t trace them back to a killer in time, her donut shop will end up permanently closed for business . . .